Greece's firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care. Patrick Quinn and David Rising contributed to this story from Bangkok. Smoke rose from trains as firefighters and rescuers tried to help out the victims after the accident. Local media said the train left Athens around 7.30 pm local time on Tuesday. A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students coming back from their holidays, collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring some 85, officials said Wednesday. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field near a gorge, about 380 kilometres north of Athens. The passenger train was traveling from the capital, Athens, to Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, when it and the cargo train collided. A teenage survivor who did not give his name told Greek reporters as he got off one of the buses that just before the crash, he felt a strong braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop. Opinion: We are in a new cold war. Rail operator Hellenic Train expressed "its deep sorrow for the tragic accident" and said the passenger train had about 350 people on board. Greek police said the manager of the train station in the central city of Larissa was arrested Wednesday in connection with the head-on collision. Dozens hurt in fiery train crash, derailment in Greece. Passengers killed, dozens injured in fiery Greece train crash. Many of the passengers would have been returning home after a long holiday weekend marking the beginning of Greek Orthodox lent. And this is very heavy for all of us and me personally., He called his stepping down the minimum sign of respect to the memory of the people who died so unjustly.. At least 32 people have been killed and 85 others injured in a train collision in central Greece. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, a small town next to a valley where major highway and rail tunnels are located, some 380 kilometres north of Athens. The evacuation of victims was carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greeces firefighting service. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. A crane operator, firefighters and rescuers work the scene of a collision in Tempe, about 235 miles north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. At least 66 of those injured were still hospitalized, six of them in intensive care, as of 10 a.m. local time. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told a news conference. Agorastor told SKAI TV the two trains collided head on the passenger train travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki, and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa. The cause of the collision is unknown pending further investigation, but Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the Greek government would do everything it can to find out what caused the crash. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. In the morning, cranes were lifting derailed carriages, as rescuers scoured through the wreckage. Fire service spokesman Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said the evacuation was being carried out under very difficult conditions. A local TV channel reported that some people were still trapped earlier in the morning. "The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.". COSTAS KANTOURIS and NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Associated Press, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early on Wednesday, killing multiple people and injuring scores of others. The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis. "This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend," said deputy health minister Mina Gaga. I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.. 1837 Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad collision, Suffolk, Virginia; 3 killed plus dozens injured. "They were travelling at great speed and one (driver) didn't know the other was coming," he said. People, naturally, were scared very scared, he said. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the trains rear cars as he arrived. A train carrying 350 passengers was traveling north from Athens to Thessaloniki when it ran headlong into a freight train traveling from Thessaloniki near the city of Larissa, CNN reported. Police in the nearby city of Larissa said they had arrested a 59-year-old station master, who has been charged with causing mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence. By midafternoon, Transportation Minister Kostas Karamanlis had resigned. "It's tragic. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train's rear cars as he arrived. Five hours later, we are finding bodies.". Eight rail employees were among those killed in the crash, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Greek Railroad Workers Union President Yannis Nitsas. Ive never seen anything like this in my entire life. A drone video shows plumes of smoke rising from derailed cars after two trains collided near the city of Larissa in northern Greece on March 1. The collision between a freight train and an oncoming passenger train occurred near Tempe early on Wednesday. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. Tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped.. TEMPE, Greece -- Rescuers searched for survivors Wednesday in the mangled, burned-out wreckage of two trains that slammed into each other in northern Greece, killing at least 43 people and crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots in the country's worst-ever rail crash. The cause remains unknown. They are in very bad condition. An emergency government meeting was organised after the crash and Greek health minister Thanos Plevris went to the scene. Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. "Temperatures were particularly high, reaching even 1,300 degrees Celsius (about 2,700 Fahrenheit)," Varthakogiannis told journalists. This year was the first time the festival, which precedes Lent, was celebrated in full since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Greece's federal transport minister said he had submitted his resignation in the wake of the tragedy, calling it "the least he could do to honor the memory of the victims" as he spoke on live television. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train causing a fiery crash on Wednesday in northern Greece. Thessaloniki has a large student population. Were getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend, said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. At least 29 people are dead and 85 injured after a commercial train and a passenger train collided and derailed in Greece on Tuesday. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. The death toll was expected to rise further, a fire brigade official said. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis. We will help them as much as we can, he said. Fire Service Officials said 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured. Sixty-six of those injured were hospitalised, six of whom in intensive care, the official said. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day. Survivors said the impact threw several passengers through the windows of train cars. A 1968 train collision in the ancient coastal city of Corinth killed at least 34 people and injured dozens. Sixty-six of the 85 injured people were hospitalised, with six of those in intensive care, a fire brigade official said. She told me were on fire. At least 29 people are dead and 85 injured after a commercial train and a passenger train collided and derailed in Greece on Tuesday. Why did Twitter suspend Sen. Mike Lees personal account? "This is a terrible night," Mr Agorastos had earlier told state-run television. Theres debris flung all around the crash site.. Rescuers in Larissa, Greece are searching for survivors in the twisted remains of a passenger train and freight train that collided at high speed shortly before midnight. Greece sold railway operator TRAINOSE to Italys Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane in 2017 as part of its international bailout programme, in the expectation that hundreds of millions of euros would be invested in rail infrastructure. 1833 Hightstown rail accident, Hightstown, New Jersey; 2 killed plus 15 injured.Earliest recorded train accident involving the death of passengers. Meanwhile, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said she was cutting short a visit to Moldova to return to Greece. Officials said many of the passengers on the Athens to Thessaloniki train were university students returning home after celebrating Carnival over the long weekend. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring some 85, Fire Service officials said. A teenage survivor who did not give his name to reporters said that just before the crash he felt sudden braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop. Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. Source: Getty / Anadolu Agency, Murat whistled until he was found under rubble in Trkiye. Associated Press reported reported that 350 passengers were on board the passenger train that was heading northbound from Athens to Smokes were seen from where the accident took place. Police said the 59-year-old stationmaster in Larissa was arrested, and a further two people detained for questioning. "There were many big pieces of steel," said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene. This is called political responsibility.. The cause of the collision was not immediately clear. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. They did not release the mans name or the reason for the arrest, but the stationmaster is responsible for rail traffic on that stretch of the tracks. Its very difficult what we are going through today as a country, he told reporters. Eight rail employees were among those killed, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Greek Railroad Workers Union president Yannis Nitsas. Most (of the bodies) are young people, she told ERT. The collision between a freight train and an oncoming passenger train occurred near Tempe early on Wednesday. An aerial view after a train collision in northern Greece that killed at least 32 people. Gatopoulos reported from Athens. The possible cause of the collision was not immediately clear. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the first two. ATHENS A passenger train and a freight train collided late Tuesday in central Greece, killing at least 36 people and leading to the arrest of a station master and the resignation of a government minister. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. ", Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene, said both trains were completely destroyed.. Rail operator Hellenic Train saidabout 350 people were travelling on the passenger train, which left Athens at about7:30pm local time for the northern city of Thessaloniki. The cause of the collision is not yet known and is being investigated. Authorities arrested the stationmaster at the trains last stop, in the city of Larissa. We are going to be here all night, until we finish, until we find the last person, a volunteer rescue worker told state broadcaster ERT. Hellenic Train is operated by Italys FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. He said it appears the crash was "mainly due to a tragic human error.. "There were many big pieces of steel," said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene. The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains, Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greeces firefighting service, told the AP. A teenage survivor who didn't give his name to reporters said that just before the crash, he felt a strong braking and saw sparks, then there was a sudden stop. 1833 Hightstown rail accident, Hightstown, New Jersey; 2 killed plus 15 injured.Earliest recorded train accident involving the death of passengers. (AP) The incident took place in Tempe, near the north of Athens. Many of those aboard the passenger train were students returning from Greece's raucous Carnival, officials said. Tuesday's was Greece's worst rail crash since 1968, when 34 people were killed in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. One passenger told state broadcaster ERT: "There was fire next to us. Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned in the wake of the crash, saying he felt it was his "duty" to step down "as a basic indication of respect for the memory of the people who died so unfairly.". We are facing an unimaginable tragedy, Sakellaropoulou said in a statement posted to her offices website. There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming, a young man who was evacuated under a nearby bridge told SKAI TV. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the site, pledging to probe the causes of the crash and prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy. Were working to restore it. My hair is burning, he told ERT, without giving his name. The crash occurred as the passenger train emerged from a tunnel. Agorastos described the collision on state television as "very powerful" and said it was "a terrible night. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "People, naturally, were scared - very scared," he said. Train crash, derailment in Greece injures at least 60 in fires, ruins. By subscribing, you agree to SBSs terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS. Fire Service Officials said 32 people were killed and at least 85 were injured. What appeared to be the third carriage lay atop the clumped remains of the first two. A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday morning. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". A passenger train collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring some 85, Fire Service officials said. Another woman, who was waiting there, said her child was not picking up the phone. "I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.". "They were looking around, searching; they didn't know where they were.". "We heard a big bang, [it was] 10 nightmarish seconds," said Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage. A passenger train collided with a freight train in Greece just before midnight on Feb. 28, killing 29 and injuring at least 85 people, authorities say. We are living through a tragedy. "We are living through a tragedy. The government declared three days of national mourning until Friday, with flags flying at half-mast in a tribute to the victims. Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed, he said. There's debris flung all around the crash site.". Karamanlis said the Greek railway system was not up to 21st-century standards when he took office. Man survives month lost in Amazon by eating insects, drinking urine. After sunrise, one of the remaining passenger carriages could be seen resting on its side at an almost 90-degree angle from the rest of the train. Temperatures reached 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 Fahrenheit), which makes it even more difficult to identify the people who were in it, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis said. A train carrying 350 passengers was traveling north from Athens to Thessaloniki when it ran headlong into a freight train traveling from Thessaloniki near the city of Larissa, CNN reported. More than 200 people who were unharmed in the crash or suffered minor injuries were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometresto the north. Greece train crash: Dozens killed in head-on rail collision north of Athens, A crane, firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece. The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.. More than 200 people who were unharmed or suffered minor injuries were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. "The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains," spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. A picture taken with a drone shows firefighters and rescue crews working to extricate passengers from trains after a collision near Larissa city, Greece. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. 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